Happenings in Happy Valley

A Visitor to My World!

2012-02-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

So on most days I spend all day with the kids and by the end of the day my patience can run pretty thin. A lot of the time I get frustrated with them or short with them or I get impatient and snappy and I feel like the worst parent in the world.....especially since Chad is normally a patient, calm, and collected person even with the kids.

But.......Chad got firsthand experience of my world on Sunday. I suggested that he and Brielle make cookies together while I did some cleaning before the Super Bowl. It started off well.....but then I kind of enjoyed watching his fuse grow short (hee-hee) as Brielle:

1-stuck her hand in the flour in the mixing bowl

2-dumped an unknown amount of the teaspoon of baking powder on her feet (leaving Chad to guess how much to add)

3-demanded that she crack the eggs (and you can guess how that went)

4-violently stirred the dry mixture without being asked to do so sending a good bit of it to find a home on the floor.

5-ate "finger-fuls" of batter and picked out chocolate chips..........and (drum roll!)

6-sneezed in the batter

Oh, may I just say that witnessing this whole experience made me feel a whole lot better about myself and how I feel about the kids after a long day with them! Thank you Chad! And despite the sneeze...the cookies still turned out really good!

I think Chad was as hot as the oven by the end of it, but the cookies turned out great! Anyone want to try some?

Whole Bunch of Stuff

2012-01-31T11:39:00.000-08:00

I thought I would do a blog entry about what the kids are into lately to give an idea of what a day in our life looks like. Starting off with Brielle...she is currently in this phase where she wants to change her clothes every 5 seconds of the day and switch from princess dress (which in our house...EVERY dress is a princess dress) to ballerina back to princess, so I thought I would just take a picture of what she wore in a single day. Out of her pj's, Brielle first asked for her ladybug costume from LAST halloween (not this past one...the one before!) So on it goes... (also...Brielle is also into just saying the word cheese for the camera...no smile... just a very emphatic cheese expression...so pardon the facial expressions...and the bed head...which is a very common hairdo for us over here!)
So then out of the ladybug costume...then into a ladybug dress

...then onto the ever popular trend of a summer tank top paired with a pair of winter tights...

...and then the very trendy navy spring dress paired with a black pair of tights (with Minnie Mouse on them of course!)

...apparently she didn't think the dress matched the tights so off with that one and on with this one. Whew...this one looks so much better! :) We can already tell Brielle has such good fashion sense!

I must admit before having kids I vowed I would never let my child have Disney characters on their clothes or shoes, I would make them wear clothes that matched, and they would without a doubt never have light up shoes. Well...the other day we went out in public with a hot pink sweatshirt and jeans tucked INTO red Christmas socks while wearing Dora light up shoes and a Dora backpack...needless to say I have classified "what you wear in public" as a very small battle to fight...there are so many battles in a day that it just isn't worth it! Brielle you wear what you want girl...as long as it gets us out the door on time I am fine with it!

Brielle just loves her Dad. Last weekend we had enough snow that Chad could take her outside and build a snowman and go sledding...she loved it! (And yes, that is Dora the Explorer on her jacket...what can I say?!)

Brielle is really starting to get an imagination and play pretend which is so fun to watch and also be a part of. I must admit I was a little concerned that she might have accounting written all over her future as she was naming her pet dogs such creative names as: "Brown dog", "Fire Truck Dog" and "Piper's Dog" She loves Dora and anything princess and loves to dance. She is such a sweet little thing to her brother. She always loves on him and smothers him and tries to include him in things we're doing as best as she can.

Bryce is 7 1/2 months old and can officially be labeled a crawler! Its like something finally clicked and he realized by crawling he can go anywhere he wants to! Our lives as parents just got a little busier! Bryce has always been such a smiley thing and he's always ready to flash it whenever we enter the room...just warms our hearts! He adores Brielle...so much so that whenever I carry him into Brielle's room in the morning he gets so squirmy because he wants to get down and lay and play next to her. He is always trying to be where she is. He is still not the greatest sleeper and gets up at least once during the night...which we're working on and hopefully will have figured out soon!

Bryce is also going to be our climber. he is always pulling himself up onto things and try to get up on things. Brielle was not like this at all, so I am going to have my hands full!

Here are just some pics of the 2 of them together. I just love watching them interact together and see glimpses of what kind of relationship the two of them can have as they get older. Bryce is so lucky to have a big sister like Brielle. She has not shown one ounce of jealousy whenever I need to take my attention away from her to focus on him. She just loves on him and is always throwing unexpected hugs and kisses his way.

In other news...Chad's mom came across an old T-shirt that Chad wore when he was a little tike and they were RD's in Durfee Hall so we just had to take a picture of it. Oh, how I love that shirt with his jean diaper!

Chad's parents came out this past weekend. Brielle was counting down the days until they came and was so excited for them to come. She had so much fun and played so hard that on Monday after her cartoon was over she said "Mommy its nap time!" and walked right upstairs to her room. If only every day could be that easy for nap time! We loved having them out too...to catch up on things and hang out...and not to mention extra hands with the kids and a night out with just the two of us!

Odds and Ends

2012-01-17T05:41:00.000-08:00

So last week as I was putting things away in Bryce's room I turn around to find this...when did my son get so big that he can pull himself up in the crib?! Well...next item on the agenda...lower the mattress!

And all of a sudden he's standing like a champ by his musical table. Seriously...I feel like Brielle was just doing this...time is flying by way too fast!

And we're in the potty training mode over here. We started right when we got back from Michigan and we're making strides. Can you tell we go to all measures to make sure Brielle goes on the potty...her wish to potty is our command (even if it involves bringing the toilet to her while watching cartoons!) I can already sense that Chad is going to want this kind of service once March Madness hits.

And just a few more pics of our little man. He changes so much so fast that I just need to post updates for everyone out of state.

And more pics from bath night. Bryce scooching under the bath just cracks me up!

Tale of 2 Days

2012-01-09T04:18:00.000-08:00

Funny how one day you can be bundled up playing in the snow...

...and the next we're taking a walk and feeding the ducks! Crazy January weather!

And just a few pics of our kiddos

Yesterday morning after I was done getting ready for church I open the bathroom door and see these 2 sweet little faces staring back...can't help but love 'em!

This little man just cracks us up everyday with his easy going smile. In my last post I told you he was officially a sitter...well we're close to the crawling stage as he's getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. He just has to figure out to move his hands along with his legs and then he'll be off!

And this little girl has been loving all the dress up clothes for Christmas. Here we are half Dora/half flying fairy. Its funny to listen as she assigns us all "roles". She is either Dora, Cinderella or a ballerina and she tells Chad that he's Prince Charming and I'm a princess. Although I don't know where she gets this whole princess/ballerina thing from...its pretty cute to see her have fun playing the part.

Our Little Acrobat

2011-12-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

Bryce is quite the active little thing...he always seems to be moving...or attempting to move around as much as he can. We know the days of putting him in the bouncy are coming to a close because he always pulls himself up by the bar to chew the bar...
...or hang off it sideways...

...or to dangle from it trying to touch his toes to the ground.

(Don't worry...we never left the room when he was doing this...just quick ran to get the camera hoping he wouldn't fall out before we got the shot! :))

And we can officially say we have a sitter! I must say it brings a little more independence to my life as he can sit and entertain himself for small periods of time. But I also know this small period of independence will soon be replaced by no independence at all when he discovers crawling and I have to chase him around the entire house!

Odds and Ends

2011-12-06T05:11:00.000-08:00

We've got a little Clark Grizwold going on at our house! We thought we better start small...but Chad is itchin' to put up more!

Last week Friday, Chad took Brielle to a semi-final football high school game in the bitter cold. This girl loves football...Chad said she was cheering, clapping, yelling...having a great time. And when Chad tried to leave to walk back...she flat out refused to leave until the game was over...oh how this was music to her dads ears!

Our little teddy bear!

Heres a little video of Brielle and Bryce playing in his crib. Oh how I could've watched them playing forever. I know there will be lots of fighting, but to see this interaction between the two of them makes me so hopeful that they're going to be good buds!

Its Beginning to Feel A Lot Lke Christmas

2011-12-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

We are getting in the holiday spirit over here and were really excited to set up the Christmas tree this year because we thought Brielle would have a great time putting the lights on and hanging the ornaments and all that fun stuff. She did have fun...for about 2 seconds. The pictures below pretty much capture her contribution to the Christmas tree...one or two ornaments...and then off to do other things. Oh well...it was still fun watching her get excited about the whole thing.

Bryce took quite an interest in "helping" with hanging the lights this year

And just a few other pics of our little guy

Poor kid...gets forced to wear things that he can't say no to.

More Fall Pics

2011-11-16T10:13:00.001-08:00

We had to take advantage of one more day of beautiful weather and leaf piles so here are just a few more outdoor pics of the kiddos.

Bryce was great for the photo op...Brielle not really interested (as you can tell)

This little guy turned 5 months old yesterday. 5 months!! Where does the time go? He loves to watch Brielle and smiles anytime she comes around and Brielle is so, so good with him...I can't even believe it. He's been rolling over both ways for about 2 weeks and has really gotten the hang of moving around. He loves to be where we are...does not like to be left alone in a room and makes it very obvious that he disapproves. Hes found his voice and what used to be an adorable cooing, blabbing has now turned into a high pitched woman screeching sound (kind of reminds me of my dad talking when he gets in front of large crowds...that high!) His sleeping habits could use some improvement as he's only given us a handful of full nights sleep, but we'll get there...I just need to remind myself that its extra cuddle time with my little guy (even though in the wee hours of the morning...that really isn't my frame of my mind!) He is so loveable and brings so much joy to our house.

This is a pic of our little ballerina...bed head and all! I found this little get up at Goodwill and it is so funny watching Brielle just prance around the house dancing and twirling. I attached a video at the bottom to give you a little idea of what her "prancing and twirling" really looks like.

We needed to get some raking done, so this was our solution for Bryce. He loved it...giggled all the time.

And our little girl taking advantage of our last leaf pile of the year.

I just had to join in on the fun

Here's the pic of Brielle dancing...sorry its sideways...silly me turned the camera the wrong way when I was videotaping! Sorry!

The Latest

2011-11-09T02:36:00.000-08:00

Not much going on over here in the Carlson household lately

Our little man tried rice cereal for the first time last week and loved it...and caught on really well for it being his first time.

And of course since Bryce was trying something new...Brielle felt she had to get in on it and be fed rice cereal too. Crazy girl
Brielle is taking after her father in yet another trait...puzzles. She LOVES them. Every night before she goes to bed we sit down and do all sorts of puzzles with her. She is getting so good at being able to put them together by herself.

We can count on every night being a bath night for our kids. Brielle and Bryce both love taking baths, so a big chunk of our night is spent together in the bathroom (exciting I know...we lead such wild and crazy lives!)

Brielle has been good at sharing her bathtub with Bryce. She wants to help with bathing him, so she thinks its okay to dump a big cupful of water on his head like we do to her. So far...she's been unsuccessful...but one of these days I think her persistence will most likely pay off.

Its that time of year again with raking and blowing leaves. But this year we were really excited about it because we knew Brielle would love jumping and playing in them. Chad is in the picture below...Brielle, Hunter, and Bryce are just helping to bury him. Just another reason to love fall!

Great Grandma Lohman bought Brielle a set of roller skates so we thought we'd try them out one day. Well it looks like she takes after her mother when it comes to being on wheels...unsteady, slow, and terrible. (Poor girl, I better prepare her for the fact that shes going to finish dead last in all the roller skating races she participates in during elementary school and will most likely hit a pothole, tear up her knee and chin and chip her tooth if she tries roller blading! Where were my Dora knee and elbow pads when I needed them?!)

Bryce has such a quick, easy smile...just love it! He looks like such a little man in his flannel!

And I just had to post this pic of him sleeping. I thought it was so sweet that he has his arm wrapped around his little monkey blankey and him sucking on his hand. Even though the day might have been long...when you walk in and see this it just makes you forget it all and love them all the more!

And this is a video of Bryce giggling...oh he had so much fun playing in the leaves!

Latest Fall Happenings

2011-10-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

We made a trip back to Michigan for my cousin Val's wedding a couple of weeks ago and while we were home we were also able to get in some good family time.

The happy couple (sorry its so far away)
Grandpa C assumed his new role of "horsey" for the evening...

Brookey and Brielle followed suit as "ponies"

The double duos...Brookey and Brielle and Bryce and Peyton

I can never get these 2 to sit still long enough to get a picture

Love Peyton's confused look in this picture...and Brielle is totally no interested

Grandpa and Bryce time

Once again...the little ponies

The two boys on the Grotenhuis side...Bryce and Grant

We couldn't go back to Michigan in October without making a stop at Crane's Orchard. Of course we chose the windiest day to go, but we still had a really good time.

I just had to throw this in. It just cracks me up that Bryce can always fall asleep whenever he has a hat over his eyes.

We also made the trip out to JB's Tree Farm for the 2nd year in a row to get our pumpkins, check out the animals, and play in the corn maze and bales of hay.

No, you are not seeing things...Brielle is actually reaching out to touch a goat! We couldn't believe it either! Hmmm..maybe I should return to the farm with baby chicks and bunnies to see if shes still terrified.

The 2 with their pumpkins

Chad chasing Brielle in the corn maze

Playing around on the hay bales

Our big girl

We have these great Japanese Maple in front of our house and it always turns a beautiful red in the fall, so we wanted to get a pic of the kids in front of it before the color fades. I just love this pic of Bryce in front of it.

Every night after bath time Brielle needs her "princess dress" on. (How she got into princess stuff is beyond me...but just wait...there's more princess stuff to come!)

Of course we had to do a little pumpkin carving this year and this is the finished product (sorry these pics are in reverse order)

Brielle checking the pumpkin guts out...

...and yes, thinking she would like to take a bite out of it

We went trick or treating at Penn State's campus once again this year. It was cold and raining so I didn't get many pics. Brielle had a great time this year. She wasn't afraid of the people handing out the candy, but she was definitely freaked out by those dressed up like the character from Scream (can't blame her...I would be too!)

This year was Chad's year to decide the costume. Naturally he chose to have Brielle be a mini Theo Epstein and go as a Chicago Cub!

and we had Bryce go as a little cow

Chad might have been able to choose the costume, but Brielle was still able to add her own special "flare" to the costume...notice the sparkly pink princess shoes?

Bryce wanted to go a little more formal under his costume...you just never know when you might need to wear a tie!

And just a random pic thrown in

Just a Few Pics

2011-10-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

Brielle wanted to "take Bryce to the store" the other day so she made room in her little coupe for her to sit by him
She also wanted to have a picnic one morning, so waffles on a blanket in the kitchen it was!

Sweet smile!

Brielle wanted to read to Bryce one morning so here they are in the bean bag chair

Horsey Ride

2011-10-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Life Lately

2011-10-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just an update on what's been going on over here

Our neighbors so graciously offered to take Brielle and Bryce so Chad and I could have a night out to dinner with just the two of us. While we were out, it appears as if they were tortured because we returned to them wearing these Tennessee jerseys! AHHHH!! (I'll let them dress them in orange every night if they're willing to take our kids off our hands for an evening!)

Just a few pics of Bryce...he is changing so much lately! He is such a smiley guy (even though these pics don't really show it) He loves to be held (while standing of course...no sitting...that would be way too easy!) and he just loves to have people around. I don't know how he can sense when people leave the room, but he knows and doesn't like it one bit. It just melts my heart whenever he looks up at me and flashes one of his smiles...love this kid!

Jeff, Shawna, Peyton, Bethany, and Shawna's family made the trek out to PA to see the Eastern Michigan/Penn State game a couple Saturday's ago. (Shawna's cousin plays for Eastern) Chad was able to get some tickets so he could take Brielle into the game with him (Poor Bryce...he got stuck hanging out with me and my lady friends in State College) Brielle had a blast in the game and just enjoyed her Daddy-Daughter time.

We always love watching the cousins interact with one another and Brielle just loves her cousin Peyton...sometimes too much. This picture just cracks me up because you can just read Peyton's mind "Why doesn't this girl quit bugging me already!" Hilarious!

Love this pic of Brielle, Beef, and Beef's college roommate Ann (despite their Michigan gear)

Other than that not much going on over here!

Random Stuff

2011-09-21T17:53:00.001-07:00

Just sme random stuff from the past week or so

There is nothing better than licking the beaters after cupcakes!

We have a new employee of the "Bat Brigade" Larry "Quick Feet" Grotenhuis was hired to close our potential bat entrance. Upon attempting to close the hole something apparently "came flying out of the hole" Larry wasn't able to properly identify whether it was a bat because his "quick feet" helped him high tail it out of there! (Side Note: Larry did brave it back in the basement and successfully closed the hole)

My parents were in town and the only pics I took of the 2 of them was the pic of the bat brigade and this one of my mom and Bryce

Our little man with his first Penn State attire

Bryce finds the funniest places to bury his head for nap time

Our little man turned a whopping 3 months old last week! He even gifted his mom with his first 10 hour night...oh how I love 3 months!

Brielle's "Cheese Face"

Our typical morning with the kiddos

I always find it funny when kids don't like to nap in beds, but find the most uncomfortable places to zonk out. Here I had 2 kids crash on our walk through the neighborhood

Chad's Mom was in town for a couple of days. It was great having her around...the kids always love it when the grandparents roll into town!

Just a Pic

2011-09-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Can't help but love these two!

Few Pics

2011-09-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the past week.

This is our effort at trying to get pictures of Brielle. Just too busy to stop and pose!

Do note, the attire she picked out. She already knows what to do to warm her Daddy's heart (and then get whatever she wants!)

He LOVES the Baby Bjorn...it will probably be a permanent fixture to our bodies for the next 5 months! (Also, don't be fooled by all these pics of him in his bouncy seat...he doesn't care very much for the bouncy...these pics are taken during the 5-10 minutes he sits in it every day!)

Michigan!

2011-09-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

We were in Michigan for about 2 1/2 weeks at the beginning of August and boy did we have fun. Brielle would get so excited everytime I asked if she was ready to go "bye bye" because it was a new adventure everyday. (Funny how she doesn't quite get as excited about going "bye bye" now that we're in Altoona...going to the grocery store or Target doesn't quite compare to pools or beaches or having family to play with every single day!)

Our week in Michigan started with a trip to Tri-Ponds to visit my sister and her family and several of my cousins. They were camping out there for a couple of days, so we thought we would join in on the fun.

I unfortunately forgot my camera one day, so I wasn't able to capture any pictures of all the kids together, but I did get pictures with grandpa and grandma! Brielle was fearless with the water. She would get to the edge of the pool and basically just jump...whether someone was ready for her or not.

Life in Michigan was rough for this little guy. So many hands to be held in and so much sleeping to be done!

And for Brielle...everything is more fun when you're in the buff! Don't you just love those buns!
And boy oh boy did Grandpa and Grandpa put her to work. Here she is hauling stones in her wheelbarrow...

...watering the landscaping (aka mulch)

...and of course whats a trip to the Grotenhuis house without a vehicle being washed!

This was the first time the great grandparents were able to see Bryce and, once again pathetic me forgot my camera with them all but my Grandma Grotenhuis. She's still got the touch!

After some time at the Grotenhuis' we moved over to the Carlsons. Bath time is always so much more fun when the grandparents are around!

We headed up to the Carlsons cottage for one last hurrah with the whole family. Brielle had a hay day...she loved the beach, loved the ice cream, loved her roommate Aunt B (Aunt B might say otherwise!) loved everything!

Look at this little guy...is he not the cutest?! Brielle misses you Peyton!

Is that the Hoff and Pamela? :)

We also tried to get some family pics taken while up at the cottage with the whole family. This was the best pic we could get of the grandparents with the grandkids. You can't tell, but Bryce is screaming...and here's what the other pictures looked like. Brielle let us know exactly how she felt about pictures...by showing us her backside!

Love these pictures!

This was the best picture of our family we could get

And some pics of the whole family...yep the kids are totally cooperating for these pics! Brielle and Peyton must be looking at the same things!

But we actually got one where all the kids are cooperating (Chad included!)
We did get some family pics with the Grotenhuis side, but I didn't get any of those of my camera...the results were much the same. Brielle not smiling...Bryce screaming

After the cottage, it was back to the state park for some beach time with the Grotenhuis

And Bryce is once again doing what he did best...zonked out

This was the best pic I could get of these 2 little girls...they were always on the go!

Brielle has loved playing in vehicles lately...Brooke and Brielle spent so much time in my grandparents cars...they kept saying they were going to Pennsylvania!

I was trying to get a picture of just Bryce...but someone butted their head into the picture...cracks me up!

Oh my goodness...he was awake for some of his time in Michigan!

We also spent some time at the Zoets cottage while we were there. 2 major events happened while we were there.

The first was that Brielle actually touched a dog...yes she touched it. Prior to this, she wouldn't get within 10 feet of any animal. In fact when we were up at the cottage anytime a seagull even glanced in our direction she was in our laps freaked out. So petting a dog...this is a big deal!

And the second big event...Brielle had her first crush...on Ross Zoet. It was the funniest thing to hear her giggle at everything he said or did...everything (Sorry Ross...you're funny, but not that funny!) She was giddy! It was adorable! Thanks Zoets for opening up your cottage to us...we had such a great time! Brielle will want to come back again (especially if Ross is there...hee hee!)

And some random pics. Basically if Aunt B was in Brielle's vicinity, Brielle was right by Aunt B. She LOVED playing with her (and misses her terribly!)

And just some pics of our little guy. He's changed so much from these pics, but I wanted to include them anyway!

I made a trip up to fremont to meet up with some college friends, but we only took a picture when it was just corrie and I. Sorry girls...it was such a nice time to catch up!

Thanks to everyone in Michigan...time just flies by when we're there!

Almost Forgot!

2011-08-26T03:39:00.001-07:00

There were 2 other very important events that I forgot to mention in my previous post.

The first being that Chad and I had to take care of a friendly little bat residing in our basement. We got all decked out for the occassion (russian hat, oven mits, and all!), fully equipped ourselves (pillowcase and tennis raquet) and ventured down to the basement, and trapped it with a plastic container...only to find...the bat was really no threat at all to us...he had found his final resting place on our wall and was totally dead! Whew! Bats know not to mess with someone wearing oven mits!

And the other big event...our little girl had her first poop on the potty! (Yes, she is pooping on a potty in our kitchen...kind of gross...but we'll take a poop wherever we can get one!) Oh the joys of potty training!

Random Stuff

2011-08-23T19:01:00.001-07:00

Same Swing, Same Lap, Same Position....Different Child

Brielle loves to swing. We spend so much time just pushing her in this thing!

Here we have Brielle supporting the Cubbies (can anybody guess who dressed Brielle on this morning?) Its funny to us that she looks more normal dressed as a baseball player than when she's wearing her play earrings and high heels.

And a picture of our little goober. He's working on a third chin...hopefully he'll have that accomplished by the 3rd month!

This is how she rolls...

2011-07-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

Brielle did not fit in the Bumbo when she was 3 months old due to very large thighs (very large might actually be an understatement...enourmous thighs!), but she is taking full advantage at age 2! (Once again...this is due to the "mine" attitude of not wanting Bryce to have anything!)

This was Brielle's choice of attire for an evening walk with Dad. Considering we live in Altoona, no one we passed found this odd.

We didn't know such joy could be found out of breast pump supplies. Brielle likes to sing into them like a microphone all the time! Hey whatever keeps the girl happy!

Just Some Pics

2011-07-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

So here are just a few pics to give an idea of what's been going on lately

Bryce did really well in his car seat the other day. I wonder if this is why...hmmm

I was trying to use the very small creative part of my brain to get some fun pics of Bryce. As you can see Brielle wanted to be a "part" of it. Her "part" connected with Bryce's head.

Okay, so here's a cute picture of the two of them. Brielle had on a lolly from one of her dresses. Doesn't she kind of resemble those WWF fighters in it?

I don't know why...but I just love this picture of him

An attempt at picture of the 3 of us

His expression says it all!

Cashin' out for the night

Life Lately & More Visitors!

2011-07-13T16:03:00.001-07:00

Well, things have been going pretty good here as a family of 4. Its definitely an adjustment, but we're doing pretty good! Here's just a few pics from the last week.

Brielle continues to love on her brother. She has a "tough love" approach to him - banging him in the face, poking him in the eye, wacking him on the back...all out of love! We're working on gentle, but she doesn't quite grasp the concept...we'll keep working on it!

Brielle has had some extra daddy time with me having to tend to Bryce and she's been lovin' it! I love her expression in this picture.

A picture of our little man

Eric, Kim, Grant, and Brooke came out for a few days to meet their newest nephew and cousin and to hang out for a while. We had such a great time hanging out, going to the park, and heading to Canoe Creek. I didn't take a ton of pictures (4 kids under one roof will be to blame for our lack of pics!) but these are what I have

Bryce and Aunt Kim

The guys played a lot of baseball while they were here

So many pics of our little guy sleeping!

Brookie & Grant getting practice holding a little one. They look like pros and will be ready to hold their brother or sister in December!

(Note: This is Brookey's new way to smile...you'll see the same expression in a later picture. Can't wait for the annual Grotenhuis pic this summer with this expression! :)

Grant really had the hang of it...he's totally ready!

Our 2 little peas in a pod (note Brookey's smile...cracks me up!) We got the girls dressed for bed the first night and this is what they both came out in...totally not planned!

Thank you guys so much for coming out...we had such a great time and really appreciate you making the trek out!

The Past Week

2011-07-05T04:23:00.000-07:00

Chad's parents and sister came into town last week to lend some extra hands in helping with Brielle and Bryce...not to mention help with cooking and cleaning! We had such a great time with them around...here's a few pics highlighting the week.

We made a trip to Canoe Creek State Park where Brielle loved playing in the water and sand and Bryce just enjoyed napping.

Is this not the life?

I just love this pic...they look like they have the same expression

(Picture courtesy of Aunt B!)

We also enjoyed a little pool time in the backyard

Grandpa lounging with Bryce

Naturally, a trip would not be complete without ice cream. Grandpa and Grandma bought Brielle her very first cone (prior she always ate off ours!) Pretty sure there is no turning back from here on out!

More Lounging

Grandma also took Brielle out to "ride her bike" Riding bike took on a whole different meaning with Brielle. Apparently "riding bike" is...

...pushing it from behind

...or having Grandma pull while Brielle pushes...

...oh wait - she might actually be riding her bike!

...nope...Grandma still pulling!

Gotta love this sweet little face...

...and this one too!

We also went to the high school track and football field one night to let out some energy.

Brielle challenged Chad and Aunt B to a race. Here they are at the starting line...

...And here they are turning the corner to the finish line. As you can see Chad is nowhere to be seen.

Cozying up to Aunt B

A glimpse at what her teenage years are going to be like!

Thanks so much Mom and Dad and Beef - we had such a great time with you and LOVED having the extra hands to help out!

The Last Week

2011-06-26T18:06:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics (again in no particular order) of the happenings of the last week. My parents were out until last week Wednesday (bless their hearts!) to help us out. I don't know what we would have done without their extra hands! Thank you guys so much!

Dad bonding with his grandson

In this pic, Brielle and my mom are going around the pool singing the ABC's. I tried to get in on the action, but Brielle would not let me in the pool! Grandma's and Brielle's only!

Our little guy fresh out of his first bath

Cashed out

Love this pic...Brielle had so much fun with her papa!

We've had some jealousy issues with Brielle since Bryce has come home. Everything in the house is apparently hers (including the clothes I put on Bryce!) Here she is staking her claim to the activity mat. All in all, Brielle is doing really well with this adjustment and she really loves on her brother more than she tries to kick him...

...here's one of her "lovin' on him" moments

Brielle has also been sporting her tutu around a lot lately...twirling, swirling, dancing...she is loving it!

We took our first walk as a family of 4 the other night

Hanging with Dad (at least 2 out of 3 are happy!)

Does anyone else find this position comfortable?

Me and the kiddos (notice the pajama bottoms...pretty sure this pic was taken around 2 in the afternoon...yeah still working on that!)

Aside from a few hours less of sleep every night, our first week home has gone really good. Chad's fam rolls into town this week, so there will be more fun to be had!

More Pics

2011-06-17T08:19:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few pics of the last couple of days. (in no particular order)

Meeting my little man for the very first time.

You can already tell he's a Carlson! Practicing his mooning skills at such a young age! (Grandma C - doesn't he just make you so proud!)

Here's our going home pic. The 2 nurses who took the picture both said "So cute...turned out great" So we didn't even look at the picture. Can't say I'm too thrilled with it, but whatever I was getting outta there!

Proud Papa

I just love this picture of Bryce and my Mom

Brielle brought her favorite blankie and green bear to share with her baby brother...so sweet! She has really been great with all of those so far. (My guess is that she thinks my mom came out to be her personal playmate...so life is good with her!)

Brielle holding Bryce and making sure we knew he had a nose, mouth, toes, fingers...all were accounted for.

Chad's Mom made a marathon 48 hour road trip to meet her newest grandson. She drove in on Wednesday night, was Brielle's personal playmate for the morning, was able to meet Bryce, and then made the trip back home. It meant the world to us that you did that - thanks Mom!

My mom came into town Monday night to spend the next week and a half with us helping out with everything from laundry, Bryce duty, personal playmate to Brielle...you name it...she's doing it. Thanks for your servants heart mom...you're the best!

Just for a quick run down of the labor and delivery (for those who are interested). I had been having non stress tests for the last month of my pregnancy because he had been measuring small the entire pregnancy (Does 7 lbs 7 oz seem small to anyone?!). So I went in on Tuesday anticipating to have a non stress test, pass with flying colors, and go shopping with my Mom. Well, Bryce decided to go into a serious sleep and not have very much activity on the non stress test. He then proceeded to only get 4 points out of 8 on the bio physical ultrasound test. So we were staying put and I got induced shortly after noon on Tuesday. We were then in labor for the rest of the day until I pushed once and Bryce made his appearance. We had such a great experience at Altoona Hospital...the nurse were great, the doctors were great. We couldn't have asked for anything better.

Our Newest Addition

2011-06-15T10:08:00.001-07:00

We added a little one to the Carlson family early this morning. Bryce Jacob was born at 1:30 this morning weighing 7 lb 7 oz and 19.5 inches long. Everyone is doing well. More pictures to come!

Just a Few Pics

2011-06-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics to add to the blog. Not a whole lot going on over here...just waiting for a new addition to enter this world and totally change life as we know it.

Just thought I'd throw in a little prego belly pic for anyone interested

Summer Fun

2011-05-30T19:08:00.001-07:00

Summer weather is here! And we have been taking full advantage of it by busting out the sprinkler and buckets and having fun with the neighbors.

Brielle thought it might be fun to run through the sprinkler like this...silly girl!

Brielle had so much fun playing with our neighbors...

...even Chad had to get in on the fun

And if we didn't have sprinklers to play in...there's always buckets!

And on a completely different topic...how is it that my child can sleep like this for a half hour to 45 minutes but decided she couldn't nap in her cozy bed for 2 minutes?
I will never understand

Let the summer

Just Gotta Love...

2011-05-25T04:33:00.000-07:00

those sweet little diaper wedgies!

What We've Been Up To - Part 1 of 5

2011-05-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

Its been a long while since we've posted anything and a lot has gone on since then so in order to give a little update I broke it up into 5 seperate posts.

This first post is all about Easter. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of the family on Easter or even of Brielle in her Easter dress. Bad, I know. I did however capture moments of her on her egg hunt in our back yard. Here is the Brielle order of egg hunting

#1 - Find the egg

#2 - Open egg and eat all the contents inside. Share contents with nobody

#3 - Put empty egg into Easter basket.

We also made an attempt at getting her to sit on the Easter bunny's lap.
Attempt: Failed...well there's always next year

What We've Been Up To - Part 2 of 5

2011-05-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Chad, Brielle, and I took one last trip back to MI as a family of 3, mainly to celebrate Brielle's birthday with family and to take in the Tulip Time festivities (see part 3 and 4). But of course we always find time to hang out with family and friends and so here's a few pics of other adventures of the week.

We spent one day at John Ball Zoo with Chad's parents. Brielle had a great time checking out the animals...from a distance. The petting zoo was not one of the highlights for her. Poor Grandma had to hold her the entire time we were in there.

Brielle and Grandpa checking out the bears.

Brielle found the monkeys to be really funny. She just kept giggling as she watched them.

What's a trip to the zoo without a pic with John Ball?

I had to post some pics of these 2 little girls...Brookie and Brielle. It is so much fun to watch them start to play together. They were a lot like sisters the week we were home...it was a love/hate relationship...one day they loved playing with one another...the next not so much.

Future Dutch Dancers?

or future dancers in some other form? Yikes! :)

Of course there were many other people to play with to...like the grandparents!

Can't beat sidewalk chalk and water!

Brielle loved helping out with baby Peyton. She wanted to hold him and help feed him. Could this be a good sign for us that we have a great big sister on our hands? Fingers crossed!

Of course Dad is always a good source of entertainment

Grandpa and Grandma C took Brielle to Kinderplaats one night. The pic below should be of a petting zoo...but that's all the closer Brielle would get to the animals. Do we see any animals?? She likes to keep her distance.

Brielle was busting out dance moves left and right that night. Here she is attempting the moon walk. (We've got to stop letting her watch Dancing with the Stars!)

What We've Been Up to - Part 3 of 5

2011-05-20T12:42:00.001-07:00

A trip to Michigan in May wouldn't be complete without joining in the Tulip Time festivities. Once again, Brielle had to amuse her mother and don her dutch costume and get a few pics by some tulips.

Isn't this just the sweetest face? Poor Peyton...doesn't have a clue how many years of dressing up lie ahead of him!

Of course we had to take in the parades while we were there. Brielle had a great time watching all the bands and floats go by...even showed her excitement by waving at them. She didn't however like Ronald McDonald as we was walking through the parade. (Note to self: Add Ronald McDonald to list of scary things...right next to Ariel, Snow White, and Cinderella)

And no Tulip Time would be complete without diving into some good ole fashioned junk food. Brielle took our "diving into" comment quite seriously as she decided using her hands to eat her elephant ear just took up too much time!

What We've Been Up To - Part 4 of 5

2011-05-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

We had a little celebration for Brielle this past week in Michigan as our little girl turned 2! I can't believe she's already 2, but we've truly enjoyed watching her grow from a baby into a little girl (diva and all!)
Here are just a few pics of the festivities:

A pic of the kids table...isn't it only appropriate that my dad is sitting at the kids table?

I'm not one of those Moms who goes crazy with all the cute decorations and themes and stuff (I know can you believe it? An accountant doesn't like the creative stuff?!) But Brielle does have a special place in her heart for Elmo, so we ordered an Elmo cake (not to mention Elmo plates and napkins and Sesame Street candle...oh wait I didn't get any of that...Chad's Mom did! :)

Brielle loved the cake, but didn't want to get too close to the cake without someone else close by. So Grandpa C came to the rescue. If you recall last year's one year birthday celebration, Brielle didn't dig into the cake or put it in her hair or anything even resembling that. Well, her 2nd year birthday was no different. Just daintily sticking her finger in the frosting and licking it. That's all.

Thanks to the help of Grant and Brookie, Brielle really got the hang of opening presents by the end of the night.

What We've Been Up To - 5 of 5

2011-05-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well, for starters, here's an updated preggo pic of me at 36 weeks. You know you're getting big when your niece assimilates you to a rhino and an elephant while reading a jungle book and your daughter takes cover under your belly while in the shower. Oh boy...only 4 weeks left!

I've been taking Brielle to a weekly Child Prep program for preschoolers and last night was their end of the year picnic/game night. Brielle had a blast. For those of you who know Brielle, she's a little timid in large groups and trying things on her own. So Chad and I were so excited when we saw her take off and freely roam the playground and do the games. Here are a few pics from the night.

Brielle picking her lucky ducky from the pool

Scoring big points in the bean bag toss. That game really got me excited...can you tell? :)

Brielle racing Hunter with super large shoes on (not to mention a clown wig)

Love this picture!

Brielle and her buddy Hunter. I can't tell you how much she loves hanging out with this guy!

Fun Times with Grandma C!

2011-04-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

Chad's mom made a visit to Altoona last week for a few days and Brielle was loving it (as did Chad and I)! Every morning when I would get Brielle out of bed the first words out of her mouth were "Where's Grandma?" where by she would then run around the house until she found her. Here are a few pics of the two of them enjoying their time together.

Enjoying some time in the sand
Brielle wanted to be just like Grandma...all the way down to the glasses!

Swinging

Lots of reading! I can't get Brielle to sit 2 minutes to read a book...Mama C read book after book to her. I don't know how she does it!

Spring Break

2011-04-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

We spent Spring Break down in Florida with the Grotenhuis clan for the week. We had such a great time spending time with the family. Here are just a few pics of the week. The weather was perfect, so a lot of time was spent in the pool.

One night was spent at Downtown Disney

As you can tell from Chad's expression, he had as much fun (if not more) as Brielle did on the train ride.

We spent some time at Sea World. One would think I would have pictures of dolphins, or walruses, or whales...yep not a one...sorry about that! I think this is the only pic I took!

We also spent an entire day at Busch Gardens. Oh so much fun! Brielle LOVED the Elmo show(as long as the characters kept their distance from her!)

We tried to get a pic with Abby from Sesame Street, but Brielle really wasn't having it. She always put on such a brave front when they were 20 feet away and she would be waving and saying hi and all that. But the minute we got close...she would bury herself in our arms. Silly girl!

This pic basically sums up the day. The kids played so hard. The minute we put them in their strollers to leave they zonked out.

Last minute family pic. (Big thank you to Grant for perfectly placing himself in front of the pregnant belly!)

The plane rides to and from Florida were a little less than ideal. This pic of Brielle basically sums up how we all were feeling after the flights. Just to give an idea...envision a 2 year old throwing a tantrum screaming and crying, trying to be restrained by her 7 month pregnant mother who's hormones have kicked in and for whatever reason is crying uncontrollably while trying to tend to a bleeding nose. Not a pretty sight.

Bedtime

2011-03-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

So this is what Brielle wanted to take to bed with her tonight. I'll give you one guess what Chad said yes to...yep BOTH basketballs. She is making him so proud already!

Our Little Helper...

2011-03-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Brielle has really been quite the little helper around the house lately...

She loves "helping" to wash the dishes She helps unload the groceries (can you see the fruit snacks and potato chips she put in the fridge?)

She's working on enhancing her baking skills

She helps me get those "hard to reach" places for dusting and has taken over as my fashion coordinator.

This house would fall apart if it weren't for our little helper!

Spring Break

2011-03-25T04:09:00.001-07:00

We headed north to Michigan for Chad's Spring Break a couple of weeks ago. Here are some pics of the fun we had.

Brielle LOVED hanging out with her cousins. Here they are in their fort. This picture just cracks me up because you can see Brielle's smiling face peering through the two blankets at the top of the fort.

Thanks to Brookie, Brielle is starting to find her feminine side as they are sporting their little tutus and dancing all around.

Brielle had a great time at the Children's Museum playing with the bubbles...

...and playing in the car by the drive thru bank window...

...and going grocery shopping

The following night Kim and I thought it would be fun to have a "girls night out" and take Brooke and Brielle to the Disney Princesses on ice (my emphasis is on THOUGHT here). Well...do you all recall the blog post where I had mentioned Brielle was afraid of the grass? She has since overcome that fear, but we must now add Disney Princesses on the list of scary and horrendous things. Yes, you read correctly...Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella...all of them...scary.

Here we are before the show begins...Brielle is having a good time checking things out...but then

...out skates Tinkerbell and this is Brielle for the ENTIRE first half of the show (I am not exaggerating!) She had her head in my shoulders the whole time!

And here we are at intermission...sweet thing eating her Smarties...having a good time.

And the 2nd half of the show...this time she even got bored with the girls sitting behind us and decided to take a snoozer!
Needless to say, we still had a great evening. It was so fun watching Brookie enjoy the show and screaming hello at Snow White from 20 seats up. Brielle just made it a little more memorable for us. (As you can see, this picture was taken while the show was still going on...she wouldn't turn around for anything!)

Thanks for all the fun...we had a great time!

We Love Spring

2011-03-22T03:39:00.001-07:00

Does anybody else get the sense that Brielle has a little bit of cabin fever?

We are loving this warm weather and being able to be outside!

Friday Night

2011-03-01T05:04:00.001-08:00

Some of my really good friends from State College came over this past Friday night for a little girls night. We ate a little food, painted a few wine glasses, ate a little more food, had great conversation and just enjoyed each others company. Thank you ladies...it was a much-needed night for me! I had a great time!

As you can see...there was definitely eating involved...but I promise... you can see some very nicely painted wine glasses too!

While I had my girls night, Chad so graciously agreed to take Brielle for a night out on the town. Prior to leaving, Chad pulled his Penn State hat out of the closet to wear...and after seeing what her Daddy was wearing, Brielle then proceeded to pull her pink Penn State hat out of her closet. I just couldn't resist the photo op!

Like Mommy, like Daughter

2011-02-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Looks like someone else in the family is trying to sport the "pants up to the boobs" look!

Randomness

2011-02-22T11:58:00.001-08:00

Not a whole lot has been going on in PA as of late, but I thought I would post some pics just for an update.

Last week, the weather was in the 50's and 60's and we were loving being outdoors. We played in the yard, went to see the ducks by the river, and took some nice walks as well. Our "walks" have taken a little bit of a different look this year as Brielle has now decided she wants to do the pushing of the stroller as opposed to sitting in the stroller. Needless to say, we're not breaking any speed or distance records on these walking excursions.
Although Brielle doesn't have her grandparents or great grandparents in the area to love on her, she does have our 84 year old neighbor Birdie...who is so great to have around. She loves Brielle, but I have to say that Brielle probably loves her even more. (This is a HUGE change from when Brielle was an infant...she would start freaking out at just the sight of Birdie) Birdie has been such a blessing for us out here...I don't know what we would do without her!

And here are just a few more pics of Brielle playing outside with us.

I don't think Chad would qualify this pic as "playing" outside as this was his fifth grab of getting Brielle to stay away from the street.

This has been Brielle's expression with everything lately...the snow, the oven timer going off, Elmo on TV...you name it...its like something she's never seen or heard before!

Apparently redoing one bathroom this year wasn't good enough for Chad, so he decided to tackle our master bathroom this winter. Once again, he did a great job...new coat of paint, new flooring in, replaced the old vanity and medicine cabinet, and replaced the light fixture as well. With some help from our personal electrician Larry (as well as some help with some finishing touches) the bathroom is complete. Here is a before and after pic.

New Addition

2011-02-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

Last week Tuesday we were introduced to our newest nephew, Peyton Randall Carlson. This little goober decided to wait a week and a half after his due date to make his arrival...but he was worth the wait...he is the sweetest thing!

Chad's mom, myself, and Brielle took a trip up to the hospital to see Jeff, Shawna, and Peyton and I was real interested to see how Brielle would handle me holding a little one. Well, she certainly didn't have a problem with Mom holding a little baby, but when Grandma held the little one...that's when Brielle had a little bit of a problem. No need to worry though, Grandma had plenty of room for both grandkids.

Rejoicing...

2011-02-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Rejoicing with the Angels in heaven and hearing every sweet melody being played.

You will be so dearly missed here on earth Grandpa, but what a celebration for you in heaven!
Love you always and forever! Chad, Kathi, and your sweet little Brinelle! :)

When Daddy's Away...

2011-01-30T17:55:00.001-08:00

...the girls must play! Chad was gone all day on Saturday so it left the two of us with the whole day to ourselves...no boys allowed!

Part of the day was spent playing in Brielle's new tree fort. We put stuff in, took stuff out...she's quite picky about how she wants to decorate it.
And Saturday was the perfect day to be outside. It wasn't too cold, the snow was falling...it was great!

We even went sled riding (Pennsylvania term for sledding) around the neighborhood. Brielle loved getting pulled in the sled...until I took a corner too sharp and turned around to see her faceplanted in the snow! Oops.

In Other News...

2011-01-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

Brielle has been very busy reading through books lately. Normally her books of choice would be Goodnight Moon, Silly Splashers, or Monkey See Monkey Do...but she has since changed to books of baby names because she has been on a mission to find the perfect name for her future brother or sister who is planning on arriving around June 18th!

Can you see how seriously she is taking this task?
Here's the most current prego pic we have on our computer...me at 18 weeks...and already lovin' the stretch pants!

Sidenote: I do apologize for the delay in posting this. It is merely due to sheer laziness on my part! I'll try to do much better in the future!

Christmas Season

2011-01-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

Wow...a lot has happened since we posted last! We had a great break spending time with family and friends in Michigan. Here is just a glimpse of what went on in those two weeks!

The Carlson gift to each other this year was a stop at a water park on the way back to MI. We had such a great time watching Brielle enjoy the water slides and water spouts (and Dad too). It was a great start to the Christmas holiday!

So this picture is from Thanksgiving, but I had to throw it in there because I thought it was so stinkin' cute!

Brielle did such a good job of only touching the ornaments this year...of course that was until she watched her cousin Brookie yanking them off the tree...this opened up a whole new world of excitement for Brielle then!

Brielle had her first experience (of many!) with Christmas cookie decorating with the Carlsons. Thanks to Grandpa C being the judge, Brielle won the "Rookie of the Year" award (along with every other cookie decorating category!)

As you can see she was really intent on painting her cookies...until she realized it was edible...then she wasn't quite as efficient at the decorating

Brielle learned some new dance moves with Grandma C over break...move over Sharon, Lois, and Brahm...Michael Buble is Brielle's favorite now!

Brielle showing off her purse and grocery cart from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Shawna

Brielle found a lot of new playmates back in Michigan...mainly her older cousins Seth, Andi, and Elli. To say she loved playing with them would be an understatement.

Brielle wasn't very interested in opening her gifts this year, but she had plenty of volunteers to help her

While in MI, I got together with some friends and their kids. This was the best we could do for a picture even though there were 3 other kids in attendance. Pictured is Leah Stefanko (Nienhuis), Brielle, and Isaiah Williams (Kerkstra). Not pictured is Kenlee Copeland (Taylor), Caleb Martin (Corey), and Jesse "Bobby" Williams (Kerkstra)

And a post would not be complete without a picture of the cousins: Brooke, Brielle, and Grant. My goodness...Brielle just loves these 2! Grant is such a great older cousin and is so gentle and sweet with her and anytime he's around she just smiles and follows him wherever he goes! And Brookey just loves taking Brielle by the hand and showing her how to do things (whether Brielle is interested or not!) A trip to MI would not be complete without several stops to play with them!

And we're so anxious for Brielle to have a new cousin on the Carlson side in a couple of weeks! Come on Shawna...get that baby moving! :) We only hope Brielle can be as good an older cousin to little Carlson as Brooke and Grant are to Brielle.

The Grotenhuis clan (unfortunately we didn't get one of the Carlsons!)

We made a trip to the Holland Aquatic Center...again Brielle was in her glory playing in the water.

And our holiday wrapped up with a New Years celebration at the Kleinheksels and little Ellie. Our group was a little smaller this year as one couple was in labor and another couple had the flu. So we rang in the New Year with Craig, Charlie, Abby, Ellie, and the three of us. Great ending to a great vacation.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2010-12-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

Can you tell who is copying who?

Does this Count?

2010-11-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

Does this count as Brielle's first piggy?!!

Our Little Ladybug

2010-11-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Brielle had quite the week for Halloween. Due to my poor uploading skills the events are in reverse order...sorry!

Thursday night was our neighboorhood Trick-or-Treating, so my parents and I took Brielle around the neighborhood to say hello and collect some goodies.

Here are some of the neighborhood kids that stopped by to say hi to Brielle. Brielle absolutely LOVES these kids...even though the picture doesn't show it! (Can you tell we have some Tennessee fans in our neighborhood?)

On Wednesday night the student committees of Penn State Altoona offers a trick or treat time for the city so we ventured out that way...

After staring at people for the first half of the night, Brielle finally caught on to the idea that she needed to take the candy and put it in her bag.

Does it look like she's had a little too much candy already?!

On Monday, the moms group that I'm a part of went to an elderly care facility to do some trick or treating. This one had me a little nervous because Brielle hasn't entirely warmed up to the older generation yet. But with that being said...she really did great. She just followed the older kids and did what they did...of course being offered candy and teddy grahams probably tipped the scales for her to start liking them!

I LOVE little kids in costumes!

JB Tree Farm

2010-10-22T04:21:00.001-07:00

Chad's Mom was in town last week for a couple days and the weather was great so we ventured out to JB Tree Farm for a couple hours one afternoon to get some pumpkins and for a little fun. Here are some pics of the day (sorry...there's a lot!)

Here we are with a nice family pic...oh wait...what's Brielle doing?...does it come to anyones surprise that she's eating?

I love this picture of the two of them

Checking out the reindeer with mom...

...and Dad (not pictured: the reindeer)

We told Brielle to go pick out a pumpkin...her method involved sitting on each one before making a decision.

Yes people...that is in fact hair you see above her head!

Running through the corn maze with Grandma (and a random friend she picked up along the way)

Goodbye Old Friend

2010-10-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

Due to the vansectomy, I decided that it was time for me to part ways with a friend that has been by my side for over 13 years. She has been there for me through high school, brought me to prom and joined me on trips to watch football, basketball, and baseball games...she helped me through my college years wherever a road trip might have led. She brought me to my first job and survived all my job-related trips across the state (including a trip through Flint to get to Auburn Hills....hmmmm, too bad she wasn't good with directions). She even followed me out to Pennsylvania daring to brave the mountains of State College and Altoona. We have put on many miles together over the years (including a few "parking stops" along the way...enough said). But it was time to say good-bye, and so with tears in my eyes (pathetic, I know) I hand over the keys of the '94 Grand Am to 16-year old Carrie from across the street. Her behind is now going to be in the seat it took me 13 years to mold (my mold seemed to grow each year). Anyway, it is an odd feeling knowing I will never drive her again, but I can rest easy knowing I have many memories with her and that I can see her parked everyday in the driveway across the street. Good bye old friend...I will miss you (but my dad/mechanic may not!) Treat your new owner well!

Oh Wait!

2010-10-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

So in my last post I said not a whole lot was going as of late, but I had completely forgotten about Chad's "vansectomy" (Chad's term for his loss of manhood due to the purchase of a mini-van)

Yep, the Carlsons are now the proud owners of a loser cruiser...and loving it!

Even Brielle is loving it. The first week we had the van, whenever we took her outside she beelined it straight to the mini van wanting to go for a ride. (What...the 94 Grand Am wasn't luxury enough!

Life Lately

2010-10-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot has been going on in the Carlson household lately so I thought I would just throw in some random pictures

Brielle loves sitting at the piano and listening to Chad play (while she pounds along of course)...why she doesn't like hearing me play the Alpine Polka is beyond me
I was cutting Brielle some slices of cheese for lunch the other day...apparently my slices weren't big enough because took the whole block of cheese and ran into the living room to take a big bite out of it

Its been really rainy and dreary outside lately...and as you can tell Brielle is missing summer and the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan!

Italy!

2010-09-23T04:23:00.001-07:00

Last week Chad and I spent some time in Italy. Chad had a conference he was attending in Rome, so I, being the supportive wife that I am, thought that I better go along to support him on this journey.

Before going to the conference, we took a side trip to Cinque Terre where we did a day long hike to all five towns that were all situated right along the Mediterrean

Taking a dip in the Mediterranean in Monterosso

Our hike to Corniglia (one of the five cities)

In the streets of Vernazza

A view of Vernazza (pictures don't even do it justice!)

Our last night in Monterosso...and then back to Rome for Chad's conference

I thought I better throw this pic in just to prove Chad was actually attending a conference

On Thursday, while the husbands attended the conference we three ladies (Erika, Janet, and I) decided to tackle Rome by foot.

We made it to the Piazza de Popolo

and the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

We then caught up with the hubbys and others in the group and checked out the Colosseum

(can you see it was a little windy...I was having a little skirt issue in this pic!)

We checked out the Vatican and St Peters Basilica on Saturday morning

And we did an amazing romantic night walk through Rome (with Chad as our tour guide) that ended up at the Spanish Steps

The group at the Pantheon on our night walk. Nothing says romance like a group of 12!

A Trip to Beaver Stadium

2010-09-06T18:06:00.001-07:00

We decided to take Brielle to her first ever Penn State football game this past weekend. But before we took her, there were a few things that had to be done.

#1 - Know your mascot...Check.

#2 - Have the proper attire...check.

# 3 = Show good sportsmanship to opposing teams. (Here we sat Brielle next to our neighbor Lila whose Daddy is a HUGE Notre Dame fan. We figure if she could be cordial to a Notre Dame fan she could make it with anybody.) Check.

Brielle absolutely loved it there. We made it to the beginning of the 4th quarter at which point she decided to take a pooper and stunk up our whole section. We thought that might be a good exit point for us.

We (Chad especially) just loved being able to take Brielle into the stadium. Its an afternoon we will never forget.

Raystown Lake

2010-08-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we traveled to Raystown Lake to join up with some friends from State College for Brielle's first experience camping! The weather was perfect, the company was great, and we had a great time.

Brielle had a great time playing in the sand. Her little mini turtle sandbox at home just doesn't quite compare.

Thanks to our little early riser, we took a morning walk to the water. It was really quite peaceful (or it was just me not being fully awake yet.)

Brielle had a great time playing with friends both young...

...and old(er)

Life Lately

2010-07-29T09:31:00.001-07:00

Last week my parents came for a couple of days to spend some time in Altoona. Brielle just loves having her grandparents come and visit, so to have Chad's Mom here the week before and my parents last week...Brielle was in her glory!

But since they left, Brielle has just been sitting around, chillin', trying to find any place to stay cool.

But she has still been sweating her little patootie off, so whats a girl to do...

...well why not strip down naked. Careful for those pebbles Brielle! :)

In addition to the grandparents watching Brielle they also helped me with a little painting project. I had purchased an old dining room set last summer with the intentions of painting it at some point. Well fall, winter, and spring came and went and the furniture still wasn't painted so I finally decided with the extra hands around for the next couple of weeks I would try to tackle it. So here are some before and after pictures of the furniture pieces. Thanks for all your help Mama C, and Mom & Dad G!

Before the paint:

After the paint:

She's Walking!

2010-07-19T04:30:00.001-07:00

Here's a little video

I can't believe our little girl is walking!

Long Overdue

2010-07-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

This blog post is long overdue, so get ready because this post is jam packed with stuffed!

Right now Chad's mom is here and Brielle is loving it (and so are we, of course)!

They've been reading together
Brielle's been climbing on things (yes Kim...we might have a Brookie on our hands!)

And they've been enjoying the pool together (don't you just love those little buns?!)

Over the last month our family has had the opportunity to spend a lot of time at a couple of beaches.

Chad's advisor invited us to stop at their cottage on Lake Erie on our travels back from Michigan.

Brielle absolutely loved it in the water...

...and the sand.

We also went back to Michigan to camp with Chad's brother Jeff and his wife Shawna on the shores of Lake Michigan. Despite Brielle getting a cold and Chad getting sick at the end of the week we had a great time. Here are just a few pics from the week.

In the middle of the camping trip we took a little time to get a family pic taken. Not bad for having a husband who was miserable (he was really faking it in this pic) and and a daughter who was about 5 seconds from being sick of having to sit still and watch people making funny faces at her to try to get her to smile.

Since Chad has been done with his dissertation he was looking for a new challenge, so he decided to tackle our bathroom. For those of you who know Chad, he is not one who really feels comfortable around power tools but he really was excited for this project.

This is our bathroom before Chad went to work...floral patterns everywhere (even the floor!)

He took down the entire partition wall

Just a pic of my hubby by a power tool (I thought I better capture this moment as it might never happen again in our lifetime!)

And the final product...Chad took down the old wall, ripped out our sink, installed new flooring, put up wainscoating, installed new moldings, framed a new wall, patched up our ceiling, and painted. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical with him tackling such a big project for his first time, but he did such a great job. The bathroom looks completely different.

Dumb and Dumber

2010-06-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

For years my husband has always been known as "the guy who once cooked a grilled cheese on a flat top oven without using a pan". Dumb right? Well...I think I topped him on the "dumb things you can do" list this past Monday evening because this is a picture of what happens when...

you don't put your car in park (Yes you read correctly PARK!) while on a mountain.

Yep...you actually go over the mountain.
Lucky for me this trusty tree stopped my car from going any further

So what does a girl do when her car has hit a tree after rolling down a mountain?

Well...try to pull it out of course...but if that doesn't work...

...it makes a great place for a group shot!

Dumb, dumb, dumb is all I have to say about this.

The Privileges of Being One

2010-06-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

Everyone is always talking about how, in order to live the good life, people should "be one" with themselves and with the world around them. Brielle "became one" on May 11, and she has found many new joys in her "one-ness."
Playing in the pool by herself.

Driving an '09 Cozy Coupe (with a bumper sticker that says, "S$%# Happens ... in my diaper")

Helping a younger friend (Ellie) get out of her car seat.

Laughing at how much newborns (like Jonathan) sleep as compared to people who are "one."

Digging in to your own cake!! (She didn't get much past the strawberries)

Playing the piano with cousins (music that only grandparents could love)

Wearing an authentic Dutch costume at Tulip Time.

Few Pics

2010-05-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hey there...So I dropped our camera from a counter top about a month ago and it just hasn't worked the same since...not at all actually (go figure). And the camera we borrowed from my sister doesn't match our adapter so we unfortunately don't have any new pics to show you. But here are just a few pics from about a month ago just to post some pics. Hopefully we'll be up and posting new pics again very soon!

Patty Cake & Sooo Big

2010-04-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

Much of the credit for Brielle's ability to clap goes to Grandpa C who worked extensively with Brielle to show her his clapping skills while we were gone to London a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I have been unable to upload that video...I will however keep trying!

A Few Random Pics

2010-04-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

The first sign of a multi-tasker...enjoying her cheesy beef enchilada meal while working on a pooh!
I just thought this pic was too sweet not to post (notice she's sitting in the grass - whoo hoo!)

Just A Day at the Ballpark

2010-04-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to watch the Altoona Curve play the Harrisburg Nationals and the #1 draft pick Stephen Strausburg (who has been touted to possibly be a future Hall of Famer) So of course, Chad takes advantage of any chances we might have to be a part of something that has the potential to be a significant sports moment. (Which living in Altoona...these moments don't pop up very often so you have jump at them while you can!)

As you can see Brielle was very excited to be part of this historical day...

And the first pitch was thrown out...

...And Dad made this game way more hyped up than he should have...time to focus on drinking and sunbathing!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

Some"bunny" wants to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

This was the best pic we could get of Brielle in her Easter dress...luring her to sit still with Mommy's necklace always does the trick! Next step...teaching her to sit a little more lady like!

And our attempt at a family pic...

We Love Spring!!

2010-03-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

Spring is here...finally! And boy did we take advantage of it. We took a nice little stroller ride around the neighborhood...

Set her down in the grass in the backyard to try to get a picture...

and learned that our daughter is afraid of grass...yes folks grass!

We had to put a nice little red blanket down for our little princess so she could at least sit down without freaking out. Here she is getting as close to the edge as she possibly dares...
And here she is braving past the confines of the red blanket

We look upon this turn of events as both unlucky and lucky. Unlucky because we have a daughter who is afraid of grass, which is about as scary as butterflies or ham sandwiches. Lucky though, because we should have no problem getting yard work done this spring since her blanket serves as a natural electric fence.

Future Hoopster?

2010-02-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Favorite Things

2010-02-22T14:12:00.001-08:00

So we thought we do a post about a few of Brielle's favorite things

1 - Favorite thing to eat...

...Moms coupons

2 - Favorite thing to drink...

...water (double fisting of course!)

3 - Favorite thing to do on Tuesday & Thursday nights...

...go swimming with Mom & Dad

4 - Favorite pose

5 - Favorite way to smile for the camera

6 - Favorite place to "hang"...

...all over Mom!

We Got a Little Snow

2010-02-06T11:02:00.001-08:00

So over the last 24 hours, we went from having grass in our yard to this...

Yep, over 20 inches of snow! (Grandpa and Grandma C chose the perfect weekend to visit!) Chad donned his flannel and Russian hat and grabbed the shovel and worked for 3 hours with Dad C to dig us out.

And of course we had to take Brielle out in the snow. She loved being outside...wasn't crazy about sitting in the snow...but still loved being out there. Here are just a few pics from the day

The Weekends

2010-02-04T05:18:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Brielle just spent time hanging out with good ole Mom and Dad...but

...over the next two weekends she gets to hang out with the grandparents!

She can't wait to show them her new tricks!

Also, I am reposting the video of her crawling. I have heard that it hasn't worked for everyone.

New Friend & New Means of Transportation

2010-01-29T05:48:00.000-08:00

This past week we visited some good friends of ours from State College who just had an adorable little baby boy in December. It was Brielle and Eli's first time meeting each other. They're going to be real good buds as soon as they realize they can play with each other.

And in other big news. Our little girl decided to try out her knees and started crawling last night! Here's a little video of the event. (You might want to mute your computer...the narrator is a little annoying!)

Holidays - The Conclusion

2010-01-21T05:33:00.000-08:00

As you can see Brielle had to leave many of her friends behind when we went to Michigan for the holidays...

...but she also met up with some new friends back in Michigan...Trey and Rowan Sloothaak

And of course she met up with some old buds too!

Uncle Jeff (Still wearing that dang holiday sweater!)

Cousin Brookey

(Sorry Grant - you were moving too much - we weren't able to get a picture of you!)

Aunt Beef
(Here they are having a friendly debate over which school is better...Penn State or Michigan... Brielle is trying to knock some sense into Aunt Beef by kicking her in the face)

In other news...over the course of the last month Brielle has not had much sit in her. No, she's certainly not crawling yet...but she LOVES to be standing anywhere she is...

...and we mean anywhere!

The Holidays - Part II

2010-01-14T10:33:00.001-08:00

Do you sense a theme in this blog post? Yep, pretty sure the grandparents wore Brielle out over the holidays!

The Holidays - Part I

2010-01-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

We indoctrinated Brielle into some of the best parts of the Christmas season. Here are some of the highlights (more to come later):

Ugly Sweater Party (whether it was meant to be one or not!)

Opening presents (whether they were hers or not)

Playing BINGO! (Whether understanding it or not)

Cheering Penn State on to victory (whether actually watching the game or not)

New Experiences

2009-12-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

Playing with a boy her age (Isaiah Kerkstra-Williams)
Playing with the Christmas Tree

Acting like Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation

Driving a car..."Watch out, man standing on the center line"

Eating a puff...and loving it (you can guess if she swallowed it or not)

Shower Time

2009-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

So in order for me to get a shower in the morning I strap Brielle into her bouncy seat and let her play away. I knew this couldn't last forever and today became the last day that I could do it because when I peeked out of the shower to make sure she was okay this is what I saw...

She pulled herself up by the toy bar and proceeded to wedge her head under the toy bar so she could be in a sitting position. What a stinker.

6 Months Old!

2009-11-11T16:28:00.001-08:00

Our baby girl is 6 months old today. Where has the time gone?

Halloween, Fall, & a 2 Pound Burger?

2009-11-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Well... a lot has gone on in the last couple of weeks.

Halloween was definitely a highlight for us and our little penguin! Brielle wasn't crazy about the hat, but once we handed out the candy she didn't care she just loved watching everyone get candy. And a lot of people loved seeing Brielle all dressed up. The most popular comment we received was, " Ahh, he's such a cute little penguin."

I guess thats what you get when you have a gender-neutral costume and a daughter that looks like her daddy!

Fall is obviously upon us. And as first time homeowners, with fall, comes raking leaves. This past Saturday morning while Brielle took a nice little nap we spent our entire peaceful morning raking leaves. As you can see this is Chad in the middle of our leaves pile. Yes, the leaves are up to the knees of this 6'2 man.

And of course while we are loading up leaves, the wind picks up and we are back to square one of raking. Ah yes - we know what we're going to be doing this coming weekend!

After our Saturday afternoon of raking, we spent the rest of the day with friends going to Starr Hill Winery and on to Denny's Burger Joint...home of the 2 lb burger.

Meet the contestants of the 2 lb burger challenge. From left to right: Jordan - the Marine, Dave - the lawyer to be, JT - the Contractor, and Chad - the Professor.

The rules of the contest were: you had to eat the ENTIRE 2 lb burger (actually 5 1/2 pounds after adding condiments and buns), you could not use any utensils, you could only remove one condiment (lettuce, tomato, mayo, relish, onion, ketchup, pickles), and you had to eat it within an hour.

So do you think anyone was victorious? Lets just put it this way...

* one of the challengers threw up outside the restaurant after getting 1/2 a bun away from being victorious

* another had to leave before the hour was up so didn't have a chance to really be in the competition (even though he hated the taste of the burger...so I don't think he would have been a winner)

* the burger just got the best of the third contestant. It really bothered him for a while having this little 2 lb burger get the best of him, but as the night went on he realized that this burger has gotten the best of most people and really came to accept it.

* and finally, the fourth was too busy watching the Penn State football game to really even realize he was eating a gigantuan burger.

Can you tell which one was Chad?

Brielle was really hoping to get in on the competition as well...but couldn't quite get her mouth around the burger.
And alas...one other fall pic of our little girl.

Good Luck Aunt Beef!

2009-10-29T17:08:00.001-07:00

Good Luck Aunt Beef at Regionals this weekend! We're cheering for you!

Go U of M Club Soccer! (and ONLY U of M club soccer)

Nightmare on Arch St.

2009-10-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

They say that Halloween is the time for scariness and I've already gotten a taste of October fright. This weekend we stayed fifteen minutes from Hell (in Ann Arbor). I must have been at the zoo early Saturday afternoon because I was getting passed from Lions to varmints back to Lions and even to a Wildcat every now and then. I got drowsy and fell into a deep sleep soon after the PSU-Michigan game began.

In my dreams, Aunt Beef dressed me up like one of those varmints, and she called it a Wolverine. When I woke up, I realized that my nightmare had become a reality. My mom said I looked cute (she was lying, I could tell), and my dad was trying to convince Ann and Libby that wolverines were extinct. I don't know whether he's right or not, but I found out as the afternoon went on that wolverines don't like to play in the rain (way to go, Lions!).

Grandpa G and Aunt Beef weren't very happy after the game. My mom and dad were glowing, though, and they kept making fun of a wolverine that had migrated north from West Virginia.

I did find one good thing about Ann Arbor...they have a swimming pool! So I was able to play with Mommy and Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Kim and Uncle Eric, and Brooke and Grant (although Mommy was very bad and did not take any pics with the Gma's and Gpa's, and the Petro Family) But here are just a few with Mommy and Daddy.

This Weekend...

2009-10-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Brielle!

Brielle: What?!

Guess where we're going this weekend?!

Brielle: Where?

Ann Arbor!

Brielle: Oh...that's my least favorite city in Michigan.

We're going to watch Penn State beat U of M!

Brielle: Wake me when the game's over because its going to be a blow out!

Fall and Pumpkins

2009-10-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

We love the fall out here in Pennsylvania...for Chad mainly because of Penn State football...but the mountains are so beautiful with the changing colors.

Blah, Blah...okay enough of the boring scenery stuff...

In addition... its pumpkin time! So we headed out to Heinish Farm to get some! Brielle appeared very interested in her family photo with her very first pumpkins.

She appeared more interested when she got to pick her very own!

And whats a blog entry without a few other token pics of Brielle! (These are obviously to satisfy the grandparents!)